EDDIE HOWE CONFIRMS BRUNO GUIMARAES AND LEWIS MILEY OUT VS CITY
Newcastle face a midfield crisis as Bruno and Miley are ruled out of the Carabao Cup semi-final at Manchester City. Get updates.
Eddie Howe has given the latest on Lewis Miley, Bruno Guimaraes, and Sven Botman as Newcastle United get ready for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final at Manchester City.
It’s another tough night ahead for Newcastle. They’re already two goals down after losing the first leg at St James’ Park, and now they’re missing even more key players. That third Carabao Cup final in four seasons is starting to look like a big ask.
Honestly, the stats aren’t great. Newcastle haven’t scored—let alone won—at Man City since Howe took charge. Their only win at the Etihad came way back in 2014, when Rolando Aarons and Moussa Sissoko got the goals in a 2-0 victory. Seems like a lifetime ago.
Injuries keep piling up. Tino Livramento, Joelinton, Fabian Schar, and Emil Krafth are all out. Bruno Guimaraes sat out the 4-1 loss at Liverpool with an ankle problem, and both Lewis Miley and Sven Botman stayed on the bench as unused subs.
After that Liverpool game, Howe explained the situation. “Sven had a tight thigh, and the advice was not to use him. That’s why he and Lewy were on the bench—we wanted to give them every chance to be fit. Sometimes, you hope something changes in the warm-up, but with such a quick turnaround, you just don’t have time to get all the info you need,” he said.
“With Lewy, he just couldn’t bend his knee enough to be fit.”
Asked about the chances of players returning against Manchester City, Howe said, “Probably our best bets are Sven and Lewy since they were on the bench at Liverpool. For Bruno, I’m not sure—there’s a chance, but the others are definitely out.”
But just before the City game, Howe gave another update. Turns out, both Bruno and Miley are out for this one. “Yeah, Bruno’s doing well, but I don’t think he’ll make this game—maybe the weekend. Sven Botman is okay, but I’m not sure about Lewy either.”
EDDIE HOWE SHUTS DOWN SANDRO TONALI ARSENAL LINKS AS NEWCASTLE STAY FIRM
Eddie Howe speaks out on Sandro Tonali's future at Newcastle United following intense transfer links with Arsenal this window.
Sandro Tonali looks happy at Newcastle, no matter what the transfer deadline rumours tried to stir up. For a little while, talk of him heading to Arsenal got loud enough that Eddie Howe felt the need to step in and set things straight. Newcastle’s manager didn’t dance around it—Tonali’s settled, involved, and locked in. Sure, coaches can’t always kill off all the outside noise, but Howe wanted everyone to know where things stood.
After those stories started swirling, Howe went straight to Tonali for a chat. He gets how fast these things can spiral. Newcastle fans have seen enough drawn-out sagas to know what uncertainty feels like, and nobody wants to go through that again.
Someone asked Howe if he thought there was more behind the rumours. He shrugged it off: “I don’t think so. That would surprise me. But there’s always stuff happening I don’t know about. As far as I see it, we’ve got a top player and a great person on our hands.”
Tonali means more to Newcastle than just his price tag or contract. They brought him in for £55 million, and he’s signed on until 2029, with an extra year option. He’s a key part of their plans, both on the pitch and on the books. Naturally, that kind of player gets attention—especially since Europe isn’t exactly overflowing with elite midfielders.
But Howe really wanted to highlight the human side of it all. “Sandro’s very happy here. He gets on well with everyone, and you can see he’s in a good place. I honestly don’t see a problem. Of course, I can’t control everything. If I knew where all these rumours came from, I’d be smarter. But Sandro’s totally fine. We talked yesterday. He’s focused on what we’re doing right now.”
He wasn’t done: “There’s no issue with Sandro. He’s happy and committed. But let’s be real—our best players are always going to turn heads elsewhere. That’s just football.”
As for the transfer window, Premier League spending rules kept Newcastle’s hands tied. Howe didn’t sugarcoat it: “Financially it wasn’t possible. We’re under restrictions and had hardly any money to use this window, so we’ll wait for the summer when the market opens up and maybe we’ll get better value.”
He admitted the squad’s still a bit lopsided, especially at the back, but he’s convinced that a healthy squad changes things.
For now, Newcastle’s just focused on the essentials. Keeping Tonali happy and at the heart of things matters way more than the latest gossip. His happiness is reassuring for the moment, but as Howe pointed out, nobody really gets to control everything in football these days.
"I DON’T CARE": ANTHONY GORDON DISMISSES SOCIAL MEDIA NOISE IN CANDID PARIS INTERVIEW
Anthony Gordon addresses his Premier League drought and his 6-goal UCL streak. Discover why he’s ignoring the noise before PSG.
Anthony Gordon isn’t shying away from the criticism lately. He says people’s “perception can distort reality,” and honestly, you get the sense he’s a bit tired of the noise.
He’s been banging in goals in the Champions League—six so far this season. Only Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane have more. But in the Premier League, it’s been over a year since he scored from open play. Naturally, that’s put his form under the microscope. Pundits, fans, everyone’s got an opinion.
“Sometimes perception just warps reality a bit,” he said before Newcastle’s game against PSG. “People expect more from me now, and that’s fair enough. I’m okay with that. I know I’m working hard every day, doing the right things whether I’m flying or struggling.”
He doesn’t make excuses. He just points out he’s up against some of the best right-backs in the world each week. “People expect a lot, but those guys I’m facing? They’re elite, too—they get paid plenty to stop me.”
As for the constant scrutiny, Gordon seems to take it in stride. He ignores social media completely. “I don’t mind the media stuff. It’s not personal. It’s just your job. If you want to be great, you have to handle people’s opinions, good or bad. If you can’t, maybe you’re not cut out to be great.”
He says he doesn’t get sensitive. “I just focus on myself. That’s all I can control. The way things are now, criticism just comes with it—it’s part of the game.”
Social media? He steers clear. “A lot of players use it, but it’s not for me. I don’t care if people love me or hate me; it doesn’t bother me. I’m motivated by my own goals, my own drive. Some people get fired up by what they read online, but that’s just not how I work.”
When someone asked about his Champions League form compared to the Premier League, Gordon just shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t have an answer. I’m trying the same things in both competitions. The goals are just going in for me in the Champions League right now. That’s all there is to it.”